Album

SDIB

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Although played well, the first half of this album doesn't offer much except strict reggae -- no liberties are taken, no boundaries expanded. Soft atmospheric effects, such as a rushing waterfall and chirping birds, add a small amount of interest, but those things are discarded quickly in favor of the standard rock-steady beat and Jamaican sound. Ontai's lead guitar lightly follows along with jazzy plucks and delves into a nice solo on "Midnight Hour."

The album's narrative runs from sweetly serenading love interests or the complicated feelings of a love gone awry to declarations of independence, as in "Runnin," which goes, "It's up to every man/ for him to choose a path/ and find his promised land."

By track 4, "Sweet Anela," the band shuffles off the regulations and restrictions of rigid reggae and blends in some Polynesian influences, including a plucky ukulele. The album takes on a breezier beach rhythm but maintains a reggae sensibility. Track 5, "Wrapped Up," marks the shift from lyrics of drums and smoke to "crystal-clear waters" and Hawaiian girls.

Together, the Polynesian and Jamaican intermingling have proven successful for the band. Two songs, "Midnight Hour" and "Sugar," are getting regular radio play in Hawaii.